CASPER, Wyo. — Natrona County Board of Commissioners candidate Candace Machado spoke to a number of key issues she hopes to tackle if elected during a Thursday meet and greet.
Machado, who previously served as Evansville’s mayor and a Town Council member prior to that, announced her candidacy for the board in May. Her tenure as mayor came to a tumultuous end in 2025, when she resigned following backlash to the planting of Pride flags in the Town Hall lawn during Pride Month.
Despite the controversy-marked end to her time with Evansville’s municipal government, Machado said there was very little hesitation about diving back into local politics.
“The hesitation only lasted about maybe five minutes,” she said with a chuckle at Thursday’s event. “But I really felt like we needed good, solid candidates to run in this election.”
Looking back on her time with Evansville’s government, Machado pointed to several accomplishments that she believes demonstrate her abilities as an elected official. She cited the new Evansville animal shelter, landing the new Mesa Natural Gas Solutions facility, completing the playground project at Reshaw Park and instituting a code of ethics into the city’s handbook.
Machado also said she was proud of expanding mental health resources for Evansville’s first responders, and hopes to make similar strides for county personnel if elected.
“Because I have that background as a social worker, I want to continue to improve the mental health resources we have at our disposal and help in any way I can,” she said.
Machado’s platform of improving mental health resources spoke to Iliana Adler, a supporter who attended Thursday’s meet and greet.
“Mental health is one of her biggest concerns and I really, really appreciate that,” Adler said. “I want a push on that because I’ve known people who were close to committing suicide. … That’s something she’s going to make an effort to fight.”
Machado also highlighted a desire to improve Natrona County’s infrastructure, including street repairs and work to address vacant buildings throughout the community.
Pointing to her work on the Mesa Natural Gas Solutions project in Evansville, she also emphasized a need for economic development. While the local politician said that economic development is important, she stressed that it needs to be something that fits within the community’s character.
“I think it’s incredibly important, but I think we have to be mindful. Any type of business that we’re bringing into the county, I think we have to be looking at the research on what it’s doing, what its function is and any safety concerns or other ways it’ll impact the constituents,” she said. “I think we should look at the things Wyoming is already really good at, like energy and agriculture.”
Machado has another meet and greet scheduled for July 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. at CitiWerks Cafe, 162 S. Wolcott St.
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